Assesses spoken language skills.

The Test of Language Development (TOLD) is an individually administered oral-response test that assesses the spoken language skills of children ages 4-12. The Primary Version is used with ages 4-8 years and 11 months. The Intermediate level is for ages 8 1/2 to nearly 13. TOLD is sometimes used as a language achievement test but mostly given to identify strengths and areas that need work and to aid in diagnosing mental retardation as well as speech delays, articulation problems, and other language disorders. The 170-item test involves a variety of activities including defining words, pronunciation, word/picture identification, and sentence imitation. Seven subtests cover the following areas: Picture Vocabulary (25 questions), Oral Vocabulary (20 questions), Grammatic Understanding (25 questions), Sentence Imitation (30 questions), Grammatic Completion (30 questions), Word Articulation (20 questions), and Word Discrimination (20 questions). The test is untimed but usually takes 40 minutes. Results are reported in terms of standard scores, percentile rankings, age equivalents, and a language quotient. Subtest scores are combined to produce assessments in the following areas: overall spoken language; listening (receptive language); speaking (expressive language); semantics (word meanings); and syntax (grammar).

For Further Study

Books

McCullough, Virginia. Testing and Your Child: What You Should Know About 150 of the Most Common Medical, Educational, and Psychological Tests. New York: Plume, 1992.

Shore, Milton F., Patrick J. Brice, and Barbara G. Love. When Your Child Needs Testing: What Parents, Teachers, and Other Helpers Need to Know about Psychological Testing. New York: Crossroad, 1992.

Wodrich, David L., and Sally A. Kush. Children's Psychological Testing: A Guide for Nonpsychologists. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing Co., 1990.